Priceless Sorrows
by DovakhiinDreaming
Summary: Aitsu is a Chobit with a past- but no recollection. Samantha is a teenager with a traumatizing history, and wishes she could forget. These two girls get thrown together by fate and chance, and will attempt to sort out their feelings and cover their scars. The past is never more than steps away, and isn't something you can run from.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: Awakening

0012 hours

Days since reboot: 00

"哀痛!" The girl said, a smile lighting up her porcelain features.

"Wait, hold up. Let me change her language to English, okay?"

The girl didn't understand what he was saying, but she smiled nonetheless. That's what she was supposed to do- smile. People liked it when you smiled. The man beside her opened her ear port, touched the buttons inside. He balanced a phone in his ear, and the girl noticed he had a nice smile. Would he be the special someone just for her?

"Ah, here we go. Okay, what's your name?" He asked.

"Aitsū!" She repeated, now in English. Her ear port closed, and he smiled back at her. He spoke into his phone again.

"What's she look like? Oh, well…" He looked at her up and down, and the girl tilted her head, not quite understanding.

"She's maybe 5'6, so pretty tall for a persecom. Her skin is the color of caramel, brown and smooth. Her hair is long and dark brown, the tips fade to a honey gold. It's really curly- they designed her to look exotic. Her eyes are a jade green, large, tilted up. She has a delicate, button nose. Her cheekbones are sculpted and prominent. She has the build of a 17 year old girl. What else… Her body? Triangle type. Small up top, larger below."

The man motioned for her to come forward, and she stepped out of the glass case. She found that if she pressed her hands on the glass, it left marks that quickly faded.

"Hey, what does your name mean?" The man asked, and it took the girl a moment to register he was speaking to her. The software in her head whirled to life, and she blinked beneath the flow of new information.

"Aitsū has multiple meanings, and it is of Japanese origins. It translates roughly to sadness. More commonly used as Sorrow."

"Her name is Sorrow. Should I schedule you for pickup?"

Aitsū brushed her hair like she was told, staring in the mirror. It was true what the man had said, about her appearance. Her eyes were large and green, her cheekbones sculpted and prominent. What he failed to say was that there were flaws in her features- which wasn't supposed to exist. Persecoms were meant to be perfect, after all, and Aitsū had blemishes. Yes, her skin was smooth, but it wasn't pale and pure, like the other Persecoms in the cases, the model ones. She didn't look Japanese. Not only this, but along her wrists were a scattering of scars, which she had no recollection of. Aitsū didn't remember anything since her last start-up. Now, they could remake her, and give her new skin, so she could be as pure as a newborn, but that cost money- money the store did not have. She was being bought used, and cheap. At the thought of the word used, there was an ache in her chest, which made her breath seize. She had the vague feeling she had felt this before, but had no memories to compound on.

She put the brush down on the sink, and smoothed her dress. It was a pretty little thing, with white, soft material and lots of frills. Her legs were covered in stockings to cover the scars there.

The door jingled, signaling the arrival of a customer. Aitsū walked out of the bathroom, peeking out from behind a corner. A pretty, Japanese Persecom greeted the person at the door, before pointing him to the direction of the only living person in the entire store. They spoke for a moment, before the owner walked over to Aitsū.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked, and she nodded. He took her hand, leading her to the man.

He was tall, of Korean origin. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties, and his face was marred with wrinkles from frowning too much. He eyed her warily, brown trench coat dripping water on the floor.

"They look like tears." She said aloud, and he gave her a quick look over.

"You didn't tell me she had these scars on her arms." He said gruffly, shaking his head.

"I didn't think it mattered. She's pretty and useful, not dysfunctional in any way. She's perfect."

"I don't think so. My daughter is in a frail state right now, and I don't think-"

The door rung again, and a girl walked inside, dripping wet. She had short black hair, cut in a bob, ending at her jawline. Her skin was pale and flawless, her eyes brown and welcoming. Her lips were pink and full, and she had her father's seriousness etched into her face. She couldn't have been more than 16. She wore yellow rain boots, blue skinny jeans, and a yellow, oversized sweater. She was quite small, barely reaching 5 feet.

"Is this the pretty Persecom you're buying me? You do owe me one, after all, you broke the last one." Her voice was clipped and quiet, barely above a whisper.

"I did not break it. I just… wanted it to update it with the latest gadgets for you, and ended up giving it a virus." There was a hint of an apology in his voice, a wavering in the tone.

"Well, I liked her. And now she's dead."

"Actually," The store owner piped up. "Persecoms aren't actually alive- it's a common misconception. They are just super computers, shaped like humans. So, will you be buying?"

Aitsu looked on with intense interest, trying to gauge the relationship between the two. She had his features, she must be the daughter, but they seemed to have a rocky lifestyle. The father hesitated, but then reached into his pocket, albeit a little reluctantly. He pulled out his wallet.

"How much is it?" He asked gruffly.

"It'll be 50,000 dollars in American currency. If you were to buy her with a warranty, it'll be another 20,000."

The girl smiled, illuminating her face with happiness.

"Better buy the warranty, father." She said, a smirk pulling at her rose-petal lips.

Aitsū sat in the back of the truck, rocking in the seat quietly. Rain smashed against the windows, shaking the frame of the vehicle, but the people weren't alarmed. They sat in the front seat, talking quickly and quietly. Aitsu watched the girl, watched her slender fingers tap against the dashboard, the frantic dances they performed without a partner. The man, on the other hand, sat quite still- only moving when he had too, coaxing the car to one side of the road to the other. He gazed unflinchingly at the road.

"Aitsū, play a song." She said suddenly, turning around to stare at her with brown eyes.

Aitsū blinked, golden eyes lighting up briefly. Her owner commanded, she would do. She was, only a Persecom, after all.

"Samantha, put your seatbelt on." The man said tiredly, rubbing his face with his hand. She ignored him.

"What genre?" The Persecom asked, gauging her reaction.

"Whatever you like."

Like? What did she like? Aitsū had just been restarted, and didn't have a personality yet. They hadn't even updated her with personality software.

Cavetown: This is Home

A memory clicked in her head- a song. The notes stirred around her head with rising volume, and she opened her mouth to sing the words. She felt no shame- it wasn't her voice, after all- it was the singer's.

The girl watched Aitsū with intense interest.

"You look sad. Why do you look sad? I haven't programmed you with any software, and you only come with a learning, translating and dictionary program."

"Perhaps it is a glitch." She said a little reluctantly, not wishing to admit she was dysfunctional. Her eyes fluttered closed, wishing to conceal the imperfections within.

There was a flurry of movement, and Aitsū opened her eyes. Samantha was leaning down in her seat, rifling through the cluttered mess in the front. Finally, she spun around, unbuckled her seat belt, and hopped in the back seat.

"Dammit Sam!" The man cursed, spinning the wheel furiously. The car's wheels spun on the wet roads with a squeal, and finally, the truck regained composure, driving along slowly. Sam seemed unfazed, and lifted her arms.

In them was a sleeping girl. Well, girl wasn't the right word. She was incredibly small, no longer than Aitsu's forearm, barely a foot tall. She had short blue hair, the left side shaved, the right left long and wild. She had pale features, no scars nor blemishes. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, and she wore a kimono, regarding the persecom with a frown.

"This is Uteki, which means raindrop. She's a persecom like you, but laptop sized. Don't mind her angry disposition: that's just her way."

Uteki crossed her arms and tilted her head, before leaping forward and landing on Aitsu's arm, clinging to her clothing.

"I will be performing a system checkup now. Please open your ear port."

"I'd rather not…" She mumbled, looking down in her lap, away from those eyes. Tiny hands grabbed onto her face, directing her gaze to the girls.

"It wasn't a question. I am in charge here, I am number one. Open ear port." She said sternly, sticking out her lower lip. Aitsu didn't want them to know she had a glitch, an imperfection- it would be back on the display she'd go. So she shook her head more forcefully, finding her voice.

"Nope."

Samantha looked on with a smile, finding the scene amusing. However, Uteki was less so. She seemed to radiate disapproval and she grabbed the girl by her shoulders, shaking her violently.

"I'll have to use force then. Hi-yah!" The girl cried, raising her arm in a karate chop and hitting the girl as hard as she could on the collar bone. However, it only resulted in a tap- she wasn't very strong. Then, she spun around and landed a punch to her chin. Samantha giggled.

"She's not very bright. But I adore her. Isn't she adorable?"

Uteki stomped her foot.

"I am not adorable. I am a fierce tiger! I am the bane of persecom! I am Uteki, the whirling raindrop of a typhoon! Fear me!" She cried, pointing a finger at Samantha. She then turned to Aitsū.

"Now, open your ear port, before I hurt you."


	2. Chapter 2

"How beautiful you are, Aitsū. Perfect for our line of work. How the men will fall at your feet. Do you know what to do?"

Aitsū flipped her hair back and grinned, green eyes glittering like precious jewels. With deliberately slow movements she pushed the dishes off the table, before crawling across it, looking seductive in her uniform.

"Let me show you what I know." She purred.

Aitsū woke up with a start, mechanical heart pounding within the cavern of her chest. The dream burned in her mind, too real to be imagined; and once more, she wondered who she really was, who she had been.

Next to her, Sam slept, murmuring to herself. Her hair spread against the pillow, so contrasting- like dark ink spilled across a blank page. Her father, who she had learned was called Lane, had fallen asleep on the couch in his coat, limps splayed out like a sloth in slow motion.

The apartment was quite small, more of a glorified closet, really. With one bedroom, one bath, and a living room, there wasn't much room to move around, especially with all of the boxes.

Everything was packed. Cardboard boxes lined the walls, cluttered the floor, so navigating was a hazardous thing amidst the chaos.

"We're not moving or anything," Samantha had said. "We just keep the memories of mom packed away. It's easier this way. Now, read me a story."

And so Aitsū had read Siddhartha until the girl had fallen asleep.

 _Her body was a supple as a jaguar, and all of the secrets of love Kamala taught him._

 _Maybe it's their secret, how to love. Ordinary people can. But you and I, Kamala, can't. How else can you practice and sell love as an art?_

Silent as to not awaken Sam from her slumber, Aitsū slipped out of bed. The dream had made her restless, and she momentarily wished she could be like Uteki- forever in screensaver mode, without a care in the word as long as she was charged.

She walked amongst the boxes, curiosity making her peek into each one. A red sweater that smelled like perfume here, a pearl necklace with a fine layer of dust there. Art utensils in the box against the door, pots and pans in the box beneath the window. As she made her way to the last box, she realized it was sealed strongly with tape, as if hoping to conceal the danger within. Her hand reached out.

"Not that one. Christ, you're a modern day Pandora, aren't you?" The man said gruffly, voice scratchy from sleep. Unlike with Uteki, She felt an intense need to obey. And then something with her, clicked.

Her whole demeanor changed. Her posture straightened, her chin raised, her green eyes sparkled with lust, her lips pulling into a knowing smile. No longer a child, but rather, a woman with needs, was what she radiated. Lane cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable beneath her gaze.

"Just… Sit down."

Aitsū happily obliged, crossing the room with sure steps, before sinking into the leather next to him, thighs pressing against his own. She noticed he hadn't moved, and that a red flush was beginning to spread beneath his skin.

There was a flurry of movement below them, and Sam's face peeked out from beneath the covers. And just as quickly as it came, the confidence left. The feeling of a woman vanished, and she was in control of her feelings once more. Suddenly, she was too close to this man, and she scooted over.

It was like a spell was broken. Lane got up and walked to the bathroom briskly, and she could hear the shower come on. There was a moment of awkward silence.

Samantha sat up and blinked, still groggy from sleep. Her yellow sweater hung of her slight frame, exposing the pale skin of her shoulder.

"Aitsū, can you please go get my glasses? I left them on the sink. I'd send Uteki, but she's hooked up to the television still, and she has a habit of breaking them."

The persecom hesitated, not wishing to lose herself once more. However, she obeyed, taking baby steps down towards the bathroom door. Inhaling deeply, she entered.

She felt her ear ports tighten as it sensed the moisture in the air, and a clear screen slid across her eyes, just beneath the lid, to protect from the water droplets. She realized, with a hint of relief, he was behind the shower curtain, humming away to a song. She could see his lean silhouette, but nothing more. He began to sing.

"Show me yours, I'll show you mine. We got one thing on our minds-"

That was all she heard. His command, to show him all of her. Aitsū began to reach for the straps of her dress when she snapped out of it. Heart pounding, she turned and ran out of the room, getting away from the insane temptation to listen. Her will was not her own around him.

Samantha looked up from a book she was reading, glasses perched on her nose. It was a becoming and sophisticated look, and framed her features nicely.

"I found them. They were on the floor." She said, a sheepish smile pulling at her lips. Aitsū, suddenly ashamed, looked away. She had nearly seduced this girl's father. She wasn't just dysfunctional, but completely insane.

"Oh, and here. Put these on. Your dress is so… Old." She added, tossing clothes at Aitsū. Seeing her face, she continued. "And don't worry, I won't look. Unless you want to use the bathroom?"

The persecom shook her head rapidly, getting undressed quickly before the girl commanded her to do so.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps, and a warm hand pressed against the girl's bare chest, just above her right breast. Aitsū shuddered involuntarily.

"What's this scar? It looks… Almost as if someone took a branding iron to you."

Aitsū bit her cheek as a memory passed through her.

"You did well today, Kamala. Outshined all of the other girls."

Kamala, not yet Aitsu, let out a barking laugh at her namesake. They named her after the red lipped and fair prostitute who seduced a holy man, bewitched him with the flex of her limbs and feel of her lips. A fitting title.

She let out a yawn, leaned back into the leather couch, took a drag of her cigar.

"I've got to live up to the hype." She sang.

"Ah, yes. The hype. Word on the street is that Live Peep is taking persecoms too, now. A pretty little think, with pale skin and eyes like amber. Seems like the rage is kinky but cute. And you don't exactly radiate innocence."

Kamala paused, taking in his words. A weight pressed on her shoulders.

"She got high ratings. Higher than yours, on her first day. So here's the deal. You either start looking better, looking cuter, not sexy- or we'll do it for you. Do you understand?"

Kamala glowered, before spitting in his face and throwing her cigar at him. His reaction was instantaneous- he lunged forward, caught her by the wrist, and pressed the burning hot cigar into her skin. She let out a low whimper, but did not cry- she was used to pain.

"Your programming is going to get you killed." He snapped, reaching for the branding iron.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aitsu? Aitsu!" Sam yelled, shaking the persecom by the shoulders roughly, fear evident in her wide brown eyes. Aitsu let out a low whimper, before her OS rebooted, and she opened her eyes.

Her owner's relief was instant- she threw her arms around the girl, burying her face in the girl's neck.

"Thank god you're awake. I thought you'd never turn on again!" She exclaimed, before releasing the dazed girl from her grasp. Aitsu nervously slid from her grasp, glancing around. Sam immedietly understood.

"He's still in the shower, so he won't see you naked. But you should definetly get dressed- we have school."

There was a pair of tiny hands slapping her calf, and Aitsu glanced down. An angry looking Uteki gazed up at her, wearing a school uniform. Her white t-shirt was clean and ironed, with a purple tie, and a school girl skirt. In her hands was a flash drive.

"You have a lot of learning to do, so I've gone ahead and registered you as her persecom, as well as printed out a schedual for you. For the sake of keeping Sam here on task, instead of drooling over you, you have different classes. She'll keep in contact with you through me."

Aitsu reached down for a folded up uniform, heart pounding. School.

She had never been to school.

* * *

"Alert! You are out of dress code, and have broken several violations! If not remedied within the next 30 seconds, you will be reported to the officials!" A white-haired boy said, who had two circular ears plastered on his head. His speech was robotic, as if he had just been turned on. Aitsu glanced down at her outfit- her tie was tied in the wrong knot, her laces of her shoes coming undone, her white shirt wrinkled. However, the persecom quickly became distracted by other rule breakers.

Aitsu was astonished by all of the persecoms and people. She heard snippets of conversations here and there, which contributed to the loud sounds in the hallway, people pushing past each other in order to reach their destination. Sam and Uteki didn't seem dazed, though. The laptop sized girl had a bored expression, sitting on her owner's shoulder, while Sam searched the crowd eagerly.

"Samantha! Over here!" A girl shouted over the crowd. A pale hand came up, and soon a girl came into view. She was short, maybe 5'1, with curly brown hair and bottle-cap glasses making her eyes seem huge. At her side was a persecom.

Samantha dashed over, dragging Aitsu along.

"Thank god you're here. It's absolute chaos. The entire school is in anarchy! I swear, I've gotten my books knocked out my hands 17 times today! I wish summer break was still going on..." She trailed off, before adjusting her glasses and looking up at Aitsu. "Who is this?"

Samantha wrapped her arm around Aitsu's shoulder in a friendly gesture, meant to comfort. "This is Aitsu- my new persecom. Say hey, Aitsu."

Aitsu smiled and nodded her head, trying to find her voice. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you," She said, holding out a hand.

"I'm Marilyn, and this is my persecom, Hokori."

Aitsu made eye contact with the persecom for the first time. He had a prideful disposition, and seemed to look down on Aitsu. His hair was a bright red and fell down his back in a single braid. Attached to his head were small, black ears, most attractive. They were shaped like upside down triangles. A constellation of freckles were splattered across his nose. He watched her with silver eyes, before sneering.

"Marilyn instructed me to be polite, so I will try my best. I am Hokori, one of the most prestigious models on the market today." The boy said.

Aitsu decided right away she didn't like him.

"Well, class starts in five minutes! Hokori, you have-"

"I have first period physics, I know. Which is infuriating, because I've graduated twice already," He interrupted his owner, tossing his braid behind his head, before adjusting his tie. "I swear, I am 100 percent certain I could teach the class far more efficiently than him." Without another word, the haughty persecom walked off, holding his head high.

Marylin offered the two an apologetic expression. "Sorry about Hokori. He gets like that when he's stressed." Seeing Aitsu's disgusted expression, she changed gears. "Honestly, that was him in a good mood! Maybe you should get to know him more; I'm sure he'll take a liking to you if you give him a chance."

Sam chuckled, shaking her head. Aitsu sighed- this day was already terrible. The bell rang suddenly, the warning bell, breaking them from their thoughts. Sam gave the lightskin a quick hug, before dashing off, with Marilyn yelling, trying to keep up. "Saa-aamm! Wait up! You know I have short legs!~"

Aitsu quickly brought up her schedule and the map of the school in her mind, and walked off, head spinning.

* * *

Slipping through the door, she cast her eyes downward, trying to avoid detection as she entered a busy class. Nobody paid her any mind- it was obvious she was invisible. Her eyes eagerly scanned the class for a familiar face, and saw, from behind, a lone student, at the front of the class, with bright red hair, in a braid.

Nope. I'd rather die, she quickly decided, and took a seat in the back of the class. The chattering died down as class began.

Ping!

Aitsu blinked, registering the fact she had received a message from an unknown source. Her ear ports lit up briefly green, before fading.

 _You're in Sunēku's seat. I'd move if I were you, before you get hurt._

 _Why?_ She sent back, glancing around for the sender.

 _You'll see why, if you don't move- fast._

Just then, the door opened, and a persecom entered. The class got silent quickly, and stared down at their desks. Aitsu's jaw dropped- she had never seen such a thing.

The persecom was broken. Terribly broken. He had a shuffling gate, and limped towards Aitsu, eyes dark and overcast. He was missing an arm, and Aitsu could see the many wires and contraptions inside the stump, cut just above the elbow. There was a long, deep cut across his nose, exposing the metal beneath, twitching and moving.

His hair was black like oil, and shaved to where only a slim Mohawk was visible, spilling over his face. He focused his gaze on the girl in his seat.

"Move. Now." He said in a deep, gravelly voice. Aitsu nervously glanced away from his wounds. This seemed to amuse the persecom, in a sick way. "You can look at Sunēku's shame if you'd like. The marks of my failure," As if to reinforce this, he offered his stump to Aitsu, and she gulped, moving her scarred wrists under the table.

"You have marks too- the only difference is, someone took the time to mend yours." Sunēku said. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Hokoru getting up from his seat.

He walked briskly over, and hovered around the pair. He gave Sunēku a disdainful glance.

"Are you done terrorizing the population? It's not proper for defective street-fighters like you to commune with those non-defective." He remarked softly, stepping between Aitsu and Sunēku. Aitsu looked up at him in confusion.

 _I told you to move. Now I've been caught having relations with you. People will start to get the wrong idea. And speaking of wrong ideas- don't look at me like that. It's quite embarrassing. I'm only doing this because Uteki told me to intervene._

 _How did she know this was going on?_ Aitsu sent back, mortified.

 _You and_ _Sunēku_ _'s interactions are being broadcast from another persecom. Now please, get out of his seat. I don't have time for this._

Without another word, she got up from her seat and stepped away. Sunēku chuckled, as if listening to a funny joke, and sat down, wincing.

 _What's wrong with him?_

 _See for yourself. And stop bothering me._

An attachment arrived a millisecond later, and she opened the link. A video began to play.

A crowd of people, yelling and placing bets. The camera was fuzzy, but she could make out Sunēku's form. In this video, he had all his limbs. A student stood behind him, and she could tell he was in command mode by Suneku's blank, vacant expression. His fists were raised. Before him was a boy, with the same glazed-over look in her eyes. Aitsu realized she recognized him- it was the same persecom who stopped her in the hall for violating school code.

And then suddenly, a flurry of blows. She realized with horror, that owners were subjecting their persecoms to brawls and fights, betting on the winner. Sunēku's blows were lightning fast, and he attacked with punches, kicks, and elbow strikes. However, the boy was faster, evading his blows, before finally, landing a knock out punch to his audio receptors. The effect was immediate- he began to lose his balance. Even so, Sunēku kept fighting. He landed a punch to his head and a kick to his stomach, sending her flying back, but she seemed unharmed. The persecom dashed forward and uppercut the taller male, earning shrieks of glee from the crowd, before finally reaching forward while he was disoriented and digging his hand into Suneku's right arm. There was the sound of grating metal, and oil splattered the ground.

Suneku's screams resonated in her ears.

The video ended, and Aitsu shuddered. How was this allowed? She hastily sat down in another seat and buried her head in her hands, disgusted. She prayed Sam would never take her will away like that. There was a touch on her shoulder, and Aitsu looked up.

"Ma'am? You're in my seat."

* * *

Marilyn lay her head in Hokori's lap, legs splayed out in the back of the library. The red-haired persecom ran his pale fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. Marilyn sighed in relief.

"How was school today?" She asked, reaching out for- oh. Hokori handed her the magazine she was searching for. She liked how he knew what she wanted before she even had to ask.

"It was a waste of time, as usual. Why you choose to hang around this place just eludes me." He muttered, shaking his head. Marilyn rolled her eyes.

"You know we are investigating this school, Hokori." She said.

Hokori snorted. "It's not because you've grown attached to Sam these past few years, Miko?"

Marilyn glared at him.

"You know not to use my real name in public, Hokori. Headquarters won't be pleased."

The redhead sighed, shaking his head. "It's such a shame we have to pretend to be children. And why us? There's a hundred other agents who'd love to take this job."

Marilyn cast the persecom an annoyed look.

"None of the other agents have studied and have had direct contact with a Chobit before. Remember when the other agents were told to shut down Elda- oh, my bad. Chi, and failed? She's still alive, somewhere, actually. We should follow up on that."

Hokori pulled the girl's hair suddenly, making her wince.

"Leave that poor girl alone. We've already done enough to her family. We took out the creator, and programmed Freya to fall in love and have her heart broken, so she'd shut down by herself. Leave Chi alone."

Marilyn threw the magazine down.

"So now you suddenly have feelings? What happened to the jerk Hokori? You know, you can be so two-faced..." She trailed off, noticing that people were beginning to walk into the library. Lunch was now over.

Hokori pushed the girl's head from his lap and helped her gather her things, ignoring her angry looks. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aitsu walking towards them, looking as docile and subdued as a lamb. He resisted the urge to gag. He had immediately decided he didn't like her- the 'com had no fight in her. And the way she looked at him with those eyes- it sent chills down his spine. They were so sad, so... Dark. As if she had seen horrible things. And it angered him- someone with a past like that had to have a backbone. And she didn't seem to have one. Not only this, she looked at him like... He was the hero, of all things.

The persecom brushed past her, never meeting her gaze. He would make sure she'd change her mind.

* * *

 **Annnd that's a wrap for this chapter. Thanks for reading! Which characters are your favorites? What do you wanna see deeper in the story?**


	4. Chapter 4

Samantha glanced down at her sleeping persocom and sighed, shaking her head. Once again, she had to deal with the girl's peculiar shut downs and such, the glitching in her code making her strange. She debated taking her to a coder, running a full diagnosis, but she never seemed to have the time. It was the second week of school, and the teachers were really laying on the homework. Not only this, but she did have a social life- like studying with her good friend Marilyn, and playing cards with her obnoxious yet likeable persocom, Horoki.

Closing her eyes, she went over the past week's events. Aitsu started going to school. Marilyn had tried to pass her german test and had failed, miserably. Uteki had been reading reading a book as of late, a book with very advanced vocabulary, expressing persocom rights. Sam had tried to read it, but it just flew over her head.

 **I am Not a thing**

 _A Persocom's Reflections on an Unjust Society_

It was interesting- and definitely had never been done before. It seemed to be all the buzz- at least, with persocoms. More than once she had heard Uteki quoting the book, and even uploaded it to some of her friends.

Speaking of which- Marilyn had invited Samantha and her 'coms over for a party. Well, maybe party wasn't the right word. Samantha's definition of parties involved drinking, and dancing, whereas the shorter girl's idea of one involved studying, and playing videogames.

It was almost five, which meant it was about time to go. She glanced over at Aitsu, watching the darker girl's face scrunch up, as if having a bad dream. Gently, she reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently shook.

Aitsu's green eyes shot open and she sat up, heart pounding. Samantha looked down at her, worried.

"We're going to Marilyn's and Horoki's place, if you want to bring anything."

* * *

Aitsu packed her things. Samantha had expressed that the get together would most likely last all night, and most of tomorrow, so she should bring her charging port. Uteki jumped in the neon duffel-bag and lay down, getting comfortable.

"There's a chance that it will rain, and I'd rather not get wet. Besides, it's easier for me to focus in here." She had remarked, zipping up the bag from the inside.

Samantha waited paitently by the door, and Aitsu made her way over, silently slipping outside. Behind her, Sam jiggled the lock, forcing it closed.

Uteki was right- it was raining. The day was dark and overcast, the pavement slick with rain. Samantha lead the way, skipping down the steps of their complex and dancing down the street, unusually chipper.

"So, Aitsu. Are you ever going to tell me about your programming?" Samantha asked, black hair sending water droplets flying.

Aitsu remained silent.

Uteki shouted from inside the bag. "She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to! Respect her personal boundaries!"

Samantha frowned. "Aitsu, enter command mode." She said suddenly, seemingly overcome with some strange emotion. Aitsu's face went blank, and her ear ports glowed red.

"When were you created? Who created you?" Samantha asked, taking care to jump into every puddle she saw. Aitsu plodded along, speaking in a detached voice.

"I was a homemade persocom created by Yuki Kimura. I was designed back in 2006, but was not fully created and awakened until four years ago."

Samantha nodded, as if she had expected this. "And what about your programming? Who gave you those scars?"

Aitsu suddenly stopped.

"That information is password protected. I cannot tell you at this time."

Samantha turned to face her, bewildered. "But I'm your owner. I have your registration code."

"That information is password protected. I cannot tell you at this time." She repeated, in a monotone voice. Samantha wanted to howl in frustration: she hated mysteries. There were more than enough unsolved questions in her life, and she did not want another one.

"Samantha! Where have you been? I've been sending you messages for the past thirty minutes, but you never replied!" A familiar voice called out, and Sam spun around to see Marilyn running forward, with Horoki speed walking next to her, holding a red umbrella over her head.

"I never got any messages. Who did you send them too- Uteki or Aitsu?" Sam asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Marilyn rolled her eyes.

"Aitsu, obviously."

Horoki snorted, rain running drown his face. Samantha sighed.

"Aitsu is having a lot of problems with her programming. I'm thinking about getting her a full diagnosis, when I have the time and money."

Marilyn nodded, understanding. Horoki just shook his head.

"I can't say I'm surprised. You bought her from a used persocom store, what did you expect? I, on the other hand, have the best credientials and firewalls." He bragged, holding up his head. Marilyn pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and had a devious look in her eyes. Sam deadpanned.

"I know that look... No. Last time you looked at me like that, we spent three months in detention. No."

The brown-haired girl grinned, glancing up at her persocom.

"Horoki said himself he's a top of the line persocom. I have no doubt he can get her up and running normally again."

Horoki's face was one of horror, and Sam laughed.

* * *

"I cannot believe you are hooking me up to this... thing." Horoki sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to put as much space between him and the other 'com as possible. Marilyn just laughed darkly as she sat on the floor next to Sam, watching their interactions.

Aitsu seemed less than thrilled as well, and she responded to Uteki's probing with annoyed sighs. The laptop sized 'com clicked open the girl's ear port and pulled out the blue and green wires, before attaching them to Horoki's own black ones.

"I swear, if this stray off the street from god knows where gives me a virus, I am going to murder you, Marilyn."

Aitsu twitched, getting more annoyed by the second. Uteki seemed oblivious to the tension between the two, as she pressed the buttons in their ports.

"Can't we just give them money? Let's do that instead. They obviously nee-" He was interrupted by Aitsu.

"Will you just shut up, already? Just shut up. I am tired of you thinking you are better than everyone! Just be quiet!" The light-skin snapped, green eyes blazing. Horoki turned to face her.

"I am better than you. I have superb programming and superior good looks and my firewalls are unbreachable. Just because-" Horoki was once again cut off by Aitsu.

"If you do not shut up, right now, I will slam my fist down your throat." She said suddenly, and the red-haired persocom glanced down at Uteki.

"She means it." The laptop said seriously, before snapping her fingers. "Connection complete!"

Marilyn and Samantha watched on with grotesque interest. Aitsu's eyes suddenly darkened, before lighting up in a variety of colors. Horoki glanced over at her, adjusting the tie on his uniform, before he underwent the same change.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Samantha whispered. Marilyn shrugged. "I dunno. Never had to do this before."

Minutes passed.

"Diagnostics complete. Aitsu has a corrupted core, her archive files are nearly full, and she's running on extremely low memory. Like I said, she's second hand."

Samantha piped up at this. "And what about her history? Could you access that?"

Horoki shook his head. "No. It's password protected."

"Can't you guess the password or something? Or hack into it? I saw it on a movie once." Marilyn offered. Sam sighed, shaking her head.

Horoki rolled his eyes, exasperated. "No, stupid. It doesn't work that way. And besides, it's not the password you're thinking off. It's facial recognition. To get into it, you need to have the right face. The creator's face."

Samantha groaned, falling on her back. "If we could see him, we wouldn't be into this mess in the first place! Aitsu, disconnect."

Aitsu suddenly came back to life, detaching the wires getting up from her seat. Without another word, she went into the bathroom.

Sam and Marilyn shared a worried look.

* * *

The water felt good against her skin- like hot rain. The bathroom was large, with a red carpet lining the tile floor. She took careful notice of the counter, of the pictures sitting beside the sink.

It was of Marilyn, frowning at the camera, with Horoki in the background, holding a chicken. He seemed weirded out. The look on his face wasn't angry, or even prideful- his two main emotions. He held the red hen away from his body, unsure on what to do with it.

She stayed in the shower for a long time- until the mirror fogged up and the water ran cold. She had been violated today. At least, that's what it felt like.

But it could have been worse. She also knew she owed a huge debt to Horoki, now. Stepping out of the shower, Aitsu sent a quick message to the red-haired 'com.

 _Why did you lie?_

She asked, recalling the event in her head. There were no firewalls. Her information was unprotected. There was no facial recognition password- she was as accessible as the supermarket, down the road, open 24/7. Horoki had viewed all of her memories, and kept them a secret, and why? Perhaps to use it as blackmail for later on, she decided. Or maybe he genuinely understood and wanted to be nice.

Aitsu snorted.

Right.

* * *

 **So, here's the update! The novel mentioned in the story is ThanosofTitan's fictional work, from his stunning story, Coming to Terms. His characters, such as Minako and Junji, will be featured in later chapters.**

 **Read his story. It's great. I promise.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter! Minako, Reishinka Industries, and Junji all belong to ThanosOfTitan.**

 **Likewise, Hideki, Chi, and Zima belong the original Chobit's storyline.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Horoki stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked down the street, keeping his head low. He had abandoned his school uniform- it was quite trivial, and he refused to wear it outside of school- and instead wore a nice tuxedo. People gave him odd looks, as he walked down the street in the pouring rain in such an expensive outfit, but said nothing.

His black ear ports clenched shut to prevent water from seeping in and ruining his mechanisms, and once again he was reminded of how old he was. There were persocoms in the world that could eat, and drink, certain items, and were built to be able to go swimming and such. He, however, was a government agency persocom, and they had not installed enjoyable tech inside him. Everything new, he did himself.

Rounding the corner, he followed the map in his head for a location nearby. There was a persocom activist signing today, someone by the name of Minako. Personally, Horoki wasn't interested in that shit- he knew that persocoms would probably never get the same respect and rights and humans. They were merchandise, created by people, meant to be slaves. In the beginning, the intent may have been different, but now, it was all the same.

But as much as the idea of persocom rights didn't sit with him right, Uteki had been dying to get the book signed and to meet the author. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, so he'd go and get the book signed by himself. Maybe he could ask a few questions- all in the name of his job, of course.

A message dinged in his head- a short one, from Aitsu. Why did he do it?

Many reasons. For one, he had his suspicions involving the custom made persocom. In command mode, she was able to lie. That was impossible. And, when he was running his diagnostics, her software had a stunning similarity to Chi's. Granted, it was nowhere near advanced, but she was functioning with minimal software, and developing her own personality in a similar manner. It would involve further investigations, but he had a brief idea of what she was. And to further research, she'd need to trust him. He could have told Samantha about her deceit, but then he'd have to intervene, stating who he and Marilyn really were, when she tried to get her system wiped.

The signing was at the local library, and he brushed past a growing crowd of people as he made his way to the entrance. 90 percent of them were persocoms, and he sighed in irritation at their excitement. They were truly naive- the government would never allow them to be equals. Persocoms already had too much power- they were super humans. The fact that persocoms were getting it in their head they could do whatever they wanted, would eventually cause enough trouble for the gov, and he knew they'd do a worldwide reset, and squash out the problem right there.

"Excuse me sir, but you took my spot!" A purple-haired 'com exclaimed. Horoki rolled his eyes and pushed forward through the crowd, through the revolving doors of the library, and into the room.

Inside, at the back of the library, was a large table, with a beautiful, green-haired persocom, actively chatting and signing books. A quick search on the internet revealed she was a Reishinka Industries model, no more than three years old. Another entry popped up- her marriage.

Horoki blinked. It wasn't the first time he'd encountered this, but it surprised him every time. Persocoms had their place in the world, and it was not in matrimony. He noticed that hovering behind her, was a boy, fresh out of college, he assumed. Horoki realized the two were the happy couple depicted in the videos.

Minako seemed to be having a heated argument now. "I wrote the book. Just because I'm a persocom doesn't mean I'm not a person; and the fact that you'd assume my husband- not my owner, but my husband- wrote this book, is..." He quickly lost interest and skimmed the room, slipping into line.

His audio receptors caught on to a nearby conversation, and the voices sounded familiar.

"I don't know, Chi. Maybe we should come back later, when it dies down a bit. I know we promised Yuzuki we'd get the book for her, but I'm running late for class..." There was a faint murmur in response, and at the mention of the names, Horoki spun wildly about, searching.

Right there, at the entrance. A short girl, with pale skin and eyes like amber, her long, light brown hair falling just past her knees, wearing an over-sized t-shirt and shorts. Her ear ports were rather large, but cute, giving her a doe like look. She was looking up at Hideki rather lovingly, leaning into his side. Hideki smiled down at her, black hair framing his face.

Horoki smiled- so the girl did find happiness. He always felt rather protective of her- he took after his older brother. Actually no- that term wasn't correct. He took after Zima, the one who he was modeled after, when the government shut him down. His mannerisms were more or less the same, with the same values, but he was more obedient when the gov. were involved. After Horoki took his place, he became the government's national data bank, which was a huge honor.

 _"Marilyn Utega signing on._ " Horoki's eyes widened at the online signature echoing through his mind. _"I am taking over Horoki's body momentarily. Target 0477863 follow up in process."_

His eyes glowed, before fading entirely as he entered command mode. _"Sorry, love. Just following orders. You'll forgive me soon enough."_

Horoki watched in horror as he took jerky steps towards the couple, unable to fight it. Slowly, Hideki and Chi turned to face the red-haired 'com that was advancing.

"Pardon me, sir, but may I have a word with you?" Horoki said, in words that was not his own. Hideki nodded, like the good person he was, while the 'com asked vague questions involving directions. But secretly inside, Marilyn was pulling the strings, trying to wirelessly tap into Chi's feed.

"Damn, she seems to be even more powerful than last time. Her data is encrypted, and everything is password protected. Nothing I can't break into, though."

Chi's eyes suddenly went wide, and her ear ports light up. Horoki cringed on the inside, wondering if she was installed with software that would let her feel pain.

 _"No, she's not. Hideki is too soft-hearted for that. Don't worry, I'm not shutting her down or anything. Simply accessing all of her memories- oh, Hideki Motosuwa, you naughty, naughty boy. What else- well, she seems quite happy. That's what you wanted, right? Anyways, I won't have to hack into her feed now. I can now wirelessly access it, anytime. And, I can manually shut her down when I want, regardless if you agree with me. Now, hurry home."_


	6. Chapter 6

Aitsu pushed her way through the crowd, Uteki perched on her shoulder, listening to some unknown tune in her head. It was lunch, and while Aitsu didn't eat, she liked to maintain a somewhat human routine; albeit a little lonely one. She'd had been in school for two weeks, and she hadn't made any progress- she still sat with Samantha and Marilyn at lunch. Not that she wasn't fond of them, or anything- it was just a small world.

She made her way down the familiar hallways, and the crowd slowly began to disperse as each student went to their classes. She should be a little happier, she knew that. She hadn't had one of her seductive episodes since the bathroom incident, and she wasn't being bullied or anything. Still, she felt like something was missing.

There was movement, and she glanced to her left. A happy couple stood next to the lockers, and Uteki tapped Aitsu's face.

"I'd keep moving, if I were you. You don't want to get involved with her," The laptop said quietly, blue eyes narrowed into slits. Aitsu recognized one of the two- it was the silver-haired 'com from the fight, who had destroyed Suneku.

He was pressed against the wall by a shorter girl, and the two seemed to be kissing- the only thing was, the 'com was in command mode. Something stirred inside Aitsu- what, she didn't know,- and she walked forward.

The girl turned around, angry at the intrusion. She was maybe 5'4, with long, straight black hair, and a splash of brown freckles across her nose. She was well endowed with curves, making Aitsu's chest seem smaller than it was.

"What do you want? Can't you see you're busy here?" She snapped, reaching out and pushing Aitsu back with strong hands. Uteki jumped up and assumed a fighting stance, balancing on the 'coms shoulder. Aitsu cast a worried glance at Uteki, and tried to find her voice.

"He obviously wants no part of this, or else you wouldn't have to put him in command mode. Why don't you go after someone else?" Aitsu offered, nervously twisting the folds of her skirt. The girl sneered, looking down at her scarred wrists.

"Over my dead body. The moment I listen to a busted up old 'com is the day I die!" She snapped, before turning around and resuming her postition over the boy, kissing him.

"That can be arranged," Aitsu said suddenly, in a voice that wasn't her own. With quick hands she lunged forward and grabbed the girl by the hair, using the slick material as leverage as she pulled her back, eyes glowing. The girl spun around, prepared to fight, but Aitsu's fist found her face within moments.

 _How many times do I have to tell you this? You NEED me. You won't have any protection on the streets without a pimp._

 _I can protect myself- you made sure of that, remember?'_

It was over quickly- the girl was no match for her heavy blows and quick parries. In 4.3 seconds- Aitsu calculated- she was on the ground, curled into a ball, blood gushing from her crushed nose.

Uteki began to shake. "What have you done? Aitsu, they'll reset you!" She exclaimed, but Aitsu wasn't listening.

* * *

"Of all the things that could happen!" Sam's father yelled in the car, banging his fist against the steering wheel. "Samantha, you got expelled! You know Aitsu is your responsibility! And I never should have bought this... thing. How could you be so irresponsible?"

Samantha glowered in the passenger seat, her feet on the dash. "I don't know. And it wasn't my fault!" She yelled back, kicking the windshield.

"Don't you give me that bull, Samantha Constance-Micheals! Ever since your mother left, you've been-"

"Don't you bring my mother into this!" She snapped, bringing her feet down the dash to face her father. "Mom left us because she wasn't happy with you. It wasn't my fault!"

"I'm not saying it was your fault, Samantha. I'm saying that ever since she left, you've been uncontrollable! I can't deal with this right now- I have work, and I can't babysit you. You are grounded, Sam."

"I'm six fucking teen, dad! You can't fucking ground me! It WASN'T my FAULT!" She screamed, banging her fists on her thighs. Aitsu looked on in fear. "What are you going to do, take my phone away? Make me eat my vegetables? You haven't been a dad for six months, you can't just assume responsibility now!"

"Watch your language. And I won't be doing it- your aunt will. It will be good for you to get away from all of this technology, to focus on yourself."

Samantha went quiet for a moment, before exploding.

"You cannot send me to Aunt Lucy's! Please, da-" She was cut off by the squealing of tires as he began to park. He angrily unbuckled his seatbelt and slammed the door.

Aitsu looked outside- and winced.

 **"Persecom Technological Repair Shop** " was written boldly on the sign.

She would be getting a complete system reboot.


	7. Chapter 7

**Woah, a two month absence. Don't worry, I'm back! And I think I've improved a tad.**

* * *

Aitsu nervously drummed her fingers against her legs, humming a small tune. Samantha glowered beside her, still fuming from her argument with her father.

"Aitsu? I'm Kuria Clemstone. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'll be running your checkup today," the doctor said, shaking her from her thoughts. Aitsu ran her eyes down the woman's slender form, of her lab coat and rounded glasses. Her blue hair was tied up on a slick ponytail, and her eyes were a bright green. Extremely bright, almost bordering on glowing.

"You're... You're a persocom?" Aitsu asked, taken aback. The woman smiled warmly.

"Will that be a problem today, ma'am?"

Aitsu paused. "No... It's just- I almost couldn't tell."

Kuria chuckled, turning her head. Her ears were modeled after a human girl's, curving and small. Nestled in her earlobe were thick, blue gages. "I'm custom built, that's why. The gages are my audio receptors. These ears are just for show. Now, are you ready for your checkup?"

Samantha's father piped up. "Actually, we're here for a full system reboot. She attacked a person," he said angrily.

Aitsu's face flashed with fear, and she met the doctor's eyes. A silent message passed between them.

 _Please don't restart me!_

The persocom just sadly nodded her head, leading Aitsu to her room.

After Kuria had left, Samantha sat with Aitsu in the small office.

"Listen. She's going to be back in a few minutes, so we have to make this quick," Samantha whispered quickly, pulling Uteki from her bag. Aitsu's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm not going to let my dad just reset you. Who knows who you'll be this time around? What if I hate you? Or you, me? Right now, we're a pretty good fit. I can tell. So we're going to download all of your personality, flawed though it is, into Uteki. She'll keep it safe until everything cools down."

Aitsu looked into Sam's brown eyes, searching for closure. "But I'm defective. Wouldn't you want someone perfect?" She asked, though it pained her.

Sam shook her head. "I want you because you're not perfect. That's what makes you human. If I wanted perfect, I'd go purchase a toaster. Now open your ear port!" Sam commanded.

Aitsu smiled, a genuine smile that exposed dimples. Without another word, she opened her ear port and connected it to Uteki.

"Oh, and Aitsu?"

Aitsu looked over, trying to record down this memory forever. "I promise I won't let them hurt you."

* * *

With quick hands, Kuria powered Aitsu down. Her fingers noiselessly found the button hidden behind her port, and Aitsu's last view was a glimpse of Samantha's worried face. This would not be such a bad way to go, she thought. Looking at someone like that.

"Samantha, would you like to see inside of her?" Kuria asked. "It'll be free of charge."

Sam's face changed to disgust, imagining Aitsu's face peeled off, exposing twitching flesh. "No. But can you- Can you access her personal files? Like her memories?"

Kuria nodded, laying Aitsu back on the table. She looked dead, as if posed in a morgue. Samantha momentarily pictured Aitsu in a casket, but shook off the thoughts.

"If you'll just pass me those wires over there, Samantha. This way we'll connect her to the television. With her completely powered down, I'll upload a virus into her. It seems counter-intuitive, I know, but it'll stabilize and momentarily suspend her software and firewalls."

Samantha did as she was told, handing the wires to the 'com with shaky hands. After a moment, Kuria uploaded the virus saved on a drive.

"Is there any particular place you'd like to begin?" Kuria askes, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Samantha nods.

"The beginning."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Sorry this is so short, and long overdue- I promise the next chapter will be waaaayyyy longer. We'll see what goes on her head, in depth.**

 **Many thanks,**

 **~DD**


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